1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a biological information acquisition method and instrument. This invention also relates to a physiologically-active substance measurement method and instrument. More specifically, the present invention is concerned with a biological information acquisition method and instrument for acquiring information on a living body on the basis of a quantified value of a physiologically active substance collected from a body surface of the living body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Known methods in the past for acquiring information on a stress, emotion, menstrual cycle or the like in a living body (hereinafter called “information on a living body” or “biological information”) include biological information acquisition methods based on psychological assessments by diagnostic questions, organoleptic questionnaires or the like, physiological tests based on brain waves, myoelectric potentials or the like, behavior measurements by work performance or the like, and so on. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2006-94969 discloses a technology for determining a menstrual cycle on the basis of a heart rate. Further, Japanese Patent No. 2582957 discloses a daily activity level monitoring system for monitoring variations in body temperature or heart rates.
In recent years, technologies have been developed, as simpler methods, to acquire information on a living body by using as an indicator a physiologically active substance contained in blood, urine or saliva. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 11-38004 discloses a quantification method of a stress, which uses as an indicator the concentration of an adrenal cortical steroid and/or its metabolite contained in saliva. In addition, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-131318 discloses a method for figuring out a stress in terms of both comfort and discomfort by using as an indicator β-endorphin, dopamine, immunoglobulin A, prostaglandin D2 or the like contained in blood or the like.